A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements regarding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's thoughts on Mexican immigrants, saying, "Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again." Some social media users vented their frustration at Pence's comments by turning it, in part, into a hashtag.

A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements regarding

FILE - A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements regarding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's thoughts on Mexican immigrants, saying, "Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again." Some social media users vented their frustration at Pence's comments by turning it, in part, into a hashtag.

FILE - A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements

FILE - A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements regarding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's thoughts on Mexican immigrants, saying, "Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again." Some social media users vented their frustration at Pence's comments by turning it, in part, into a hashtag.

FILE - A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements

FILE - A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements regarding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's thoughts on Mexican immigrants, saying, "Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again." Some social media users vented their frustration at Pence's comments by turning it, in part, into a hashtag.

FILE - A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements

FILE - A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements regarding GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's thoughts on Mexican immigrants, saying, "Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again." Some social media users vented their frustration at Pence's comments by turning it, in part, into a hashtag.

FILE - A screenshot of a Twitter post following the vice-presidential debate between Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind. on Oct. 4, 2016. During the debate, Pence brushed off Kaine's statements

Kaine was referring to the speech in which Trump announced his candidacy for president. In it, Trump said:

When Mexico sends its people, they're not sendinTg their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

For many Latinos, Pence's dismissive response reopened a wound.

Pence may have tried "to brush off what Trump said, (but) we have a very good memory," said Carlos Duarte, Texas director of Mi Familia Vota (My Family Votes), an organization dedicated to mobilizing the Latino vote. "We remember very well when it comes to choosing what kind of country we want to have and what kind of candidate we want to vote for."

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Duarte added that "We Latino voters are paying close attention to what is said and the way we are portrayed in this election. Trump has offended not only Latinos but women, African-Americans, and other groups, and we are not forgetting."

By saying, "that Mexican thing," Pence is objectifying Latinos and dismissing the real hurt and consequences that his running mate's rhetoric has caused our community. Throughout the debate last night, Pence did nothing but brush off and lie about Trump's comments and policies; he showed his true colors and made it clear that he's no better than Trump," said Pili Tobar, advocacy and communications Director for Latino Victory Fund.

"It's obvious that Governor Mike Pence was referring to the issue Tim Kaine was speaking to during last night's debate which, by all accounts, Governor Pence won," Aguirre said.

The NRC Hispanic spokesperson attributed #ThatMexicanThing to an attempt by Democrats to discredit Pence, which in her view is "unsuccessful because he (Pence) is a true public servant."

David Torres, the Spanish media advisor for America's Voice, is a newly naturalized citizen and will be a first-time voter this year. He reacted to #ThatMexicanThing with the following essay:

Every time I hear comments like those Republican Governor Mike Pence said, with a certain disgust and classism, during the vice presidential debate on Tuesday, referring to "that Mexican thing" after his Democratic opponent Tim Kaine brought up a topic, I try to not immediately think of myself. But, as a Mexican, it is really difficult not to feel insulted given the circumstances.

Well, I could react as I did, thinking of a series of beautiful and meaningful "bad words, Mexican style" that could be used against Trumpism and all those who support the Republican presidential candidate's ideas, including Pence and others. Although, it's true that some are not guilty of being such bad seeds, and it's not my style to resort to insults.

I could also react in a way that, let's say, is "more educated or intellectual" and try to understand the modern-day American psyche when it comes to racism. A racism that a campaign sustained by fanatics, demagogues, and xenophobes is trying to mainstream in contemporary society.

However, I prefer to think about the millions of people, past and present, who sacrificed all – and when I say all, I mean all – to come to this "land of opportunity," giving this country the best of their lives and, at the same time, providing this nation the opportunity to reinvent itself once again, just as it has it done for all of history.

But instead of recognizing the sacrifices – military, economic, social, cultural, demographic, linguistic, and otherwise – that these millions of immigrants have made throughout the United States' history, or at least demonstrating a basic level of humanity and acceptance, we, immigrants, are considered to be "a thing. Just a "thing" that can be used in a debate to continue the demonization, cultural idiocy and obvious insulting of a community such as the Mexican community.

Pence, like Trump, has shown the despicable true essence of a racist who wants to win the White House, with the goal of imposing his vision of a country that, much to his lament, changed a long time ago. It seems their xenophobia doesn't let them see more than one color.

Even so, as an immigrant who will vote for this first time as a citizen, under the rights bestowed upon me by the U.S. Constitution, I am convinced that we Mexicans – and in general naturalized citizens from any country of origin – are more than "a thing": we are a vote.